Scratch A Liar, Find A Beast
by Lachupaca
Summary: Hyrule could be facing ruin beyond anything it has yet seen— but does the true risk lie in a fraud, a shadowy monster, or an army of moblins? The Sages are worried their powers are failing. It’s up to Link to find out where the real threat lies…
1. Out of the Ordinary

_This is the first story I have ever written with the intention of completion. You may note that it is thick with mistakes, so I welcome anyone who will take the time to please inform me of them; I'm badly in need of constructive criticism. This story will probably be pretty predictable; it's no epic. I have the plot all planned out, but suggestions would still be appreciated. This story is supposed to take place around a year before the events of "The Twilight Princess", whatever they may be; we don't know yet, do we? If it is completed, this fic will be taken down in October, just so you know beforehand._

_(**Disclaimer: **No characters are mine— Except that ominous monster over there tearing off that guy's face and handful of other beings you should, if you've played the game before, distinguish immediately as my own. But otherwise I will not take credit for anything else and I won't sell this crap to anyone. And yes, I have no idea who Colin is exactly... So his character is made up by me, but he really belongs to some Japanese dude.)_

* * *

Endless planes of black sands stretched towards the jagged horizon, bitter and devoid of life. The skies, however, exhibited a beaming sun and a colossal expanse of azure, dotted lightly with puffs of cloud. Overall, the optimistic atmosphere contrasted sharply with the sultry aroma of death that flowed into the air from the bloodstained earth. Several hopeful buzzards, drawn to the scent of death, glided across these plains, never landing upon the black soil, ever waiting for an idiot to attempt an unprepared crossing. The only dead thing left in the land was the land itself; everything else was either picked clean by the buzzards or swiftly devoured by the scorched dirt that slowly melted through cloth, flesh, muscle, and bone, leaving only metal objects untouched.

It was a completely uncharacteristic day, however. There was movement upon the terra, movement that made the only sound to be heard for miles: the pounding of hooves against the earth. A sole rider and his steed trotted across the desert, making their way towards the foreboding Death Mountain and the lands of Hyrule beyond that rose up in the distance. Holding his nose to stave off the powerful stench that had flooded his senses even before the planes were in sight, the horseman jolted his gray gelding into a canter and then a run, keen to exit the infertile badlands as soon as possible. As he tightened his grip on the reins, he took note of the way his charger was now heaving with exhaustion, sweat rolling down the beast's russet sides. But he could not give the animal the rest or water it craved for, not until they were clear of the treacherous flats. Slowing down would be too large a risk, and stopping would be suicidal. The horse's metal shoes were the only things keeping its hooves from dissolving in the topsoil altogether, but stopping could hurl the sand up onto the mount's legs, which could be dangerous. There were no other paths to the home of the Gorons inconspicuous enough, no other trails to Death Mountian that were not being watched. This was the only way.

Within fifteen minuets, the horse was ready to keel over, but they were now galloping in the shadow of haloed mountain. Just as the horseman was feeling secure enough to slacken his grip on the reins, his chestnut gave a wild downward jerk, and all at once, the horse went tumbling foreword, into the groping earth.

The gelding landed on top of its master, whinnying crazily as it flipped off of him and onto the blistering earth. Before the horseman could gather his thoughts, his steed was off, racing away from him and around the mountain until it was gone from sight. Swearing loudly, the man arose, clutching at his side and coughing huskily. Without a second thought, he sprinted off the black sands just as his skin was beginning to grow raw. After doing a little jig of panic, swatting the rest of the pitch grains from his clothes and skin, he faced the problem at hand. It was a foolish idea to ride a horse across the desert, but now that the horse was gone, he would have to hurry up one of the side trails instead of the main trail as he had intended to do from the start. Feeling relatively sore as he reached the cliff face, he peered hopelessly up at the towering peak before him. So, after a short respite, he started up a small narrow side trail towards Death Mountain's pinnacle.

The climb was tedious and problematical. The footing was unstable, and he slipped often. As he inched towards the summit, the sun inched towards the horizon, and the air grew steadily colder. Long after the sun had finally set, the man was standing just above Goron Village, exhausted and wishing desperately for the climb to end. Quietly, he attempted to wind onto the main path towards the pinnacle without being noticed, but—

"…What are you doing out here at this time of night?" The bass, heavily muffled voice of a recoiled Goron inquired from somewhere to his left. Spinning around, the man searched frantically for the source of the voice, but his efforts were unsuccessful, and inwardly he cursed Gorons for being able to curl up like that. For one fleeting moment, there was an awkward pause, before the man brought himself to answer in a nonchalant voice: "Oh… I came to see the moon from the summit."

It was a stupid answer, but he thought it would work, which he found a second later was a mistake. Many people, including the horseman, had the tendency of dubbing Gorons as mindless, but the tranquil reply the horseman received was of higher intelligence then most would believe possible coming from the lights of the hefty mountain-dweller. "Oh, really? I've been watching you since your pony landed on your face. Tell me, why would a _stargazer_ travel across that dangerous rout, scale the mountain by one of the more unsafe trails, then try to sneak around our village, all to stare at the moon? I mean, you can see it clearly from anywhere, can't you? And from _our_ summit of all places, where the clouds block your view?"

For ten seconds there was silence, but that must have explained everything to the Goron, because he was the one to speak first. "So, what are you _really _doing up here? …And don't try to lie again."

For a few moments, the horseman contemplated making a run for it, but decided against the rash idea once he remembered the fleetness of a rolling Goron. So, he decided to try his luck with another lie, this one more calculated then the latter. "…Fine. I was going up to see the Great Fairy and I didn't want anyone to know. Our meeting was supposed to be private. She warned me not to get caught."

The Goron thought on this for a moment, before saying in his low, growling voice, "Oh, really?… I never knew she planned secret meetings… I will keep this between us, but only if you give me your name."

_Not so clever, are you?_ Thought the horseman with an inward grin, crossing his arms over his chest but keeping his face void of emotion. "My name is Ijauh. Yours?"

"…Rahami." The camouflaged individual muttered, and Ijauh distinctly heard the creature roll away moments afterwards, apparently satisfied. The outsider took advantage of the sudden departure, and without a word of farewell, started on his way. The volcano was silent tonight, no random eruptions that usually resulted in heavy mounds of rock and soot being tossed wrathfully through the air at stray hikers. This made everything simpler, and by the time Ijauh passed the Crater Entrance and climbed up the last precipice to the crater's lip, his heart was pounding with tension.

The ring of cloud that made up the halo of Death Mountain blocked off most of the sky, as the Goron had pointed out, but it also cast a shadow on the level pinnacle of the volcano that hid most of the volcanic activity from those dwelling in Hyrule. He stood on the rim of the crater, pulling a small item out of one of his pocket. Mixed emotions flickered in his eyes as he opened his hand to stare down at the polished ebony box resting in his palm. With bated breath, he faced the crater, raised the article over his head, and sent it hurtling towards the boiling magma below him.

Seconds after the box made contact with the melted rock, a silent explosion took place, its effects hidden by the ringlet of cloud. The outburst sent the horseman hurtling back down to the crater entrance. Several breathless seconds passed before a second explosion occurred, this one sweeping Ijauh off the ground and tossing him high into the air. He shot through the air, building agility, his thoughts scrambled. Just as he was ready to vomit from all the spinning, he was brought to a shattering halt as his side connected with something, breaking his fall and knocking him cold. He had collided with the thick, wooden flagpole standing in the crossroads to the Mountain Trail and Goron Village. The flagstaff broke in half during the impact, embedding knifelike splinters in his side as he fell still farther down the mountain, finally coming to a stop a few yards away from the ruined post, limp and bleeding.

Something was stirring now within the crater, rising up from the magma unharmed, heavily armored body heaving with the effort to flex muscles that have not been used for centuries. Its spiteful eyes darted around the massive crater with distaste, snorting as it brought its wings up and down in a rhythmic pattern, rising into the air until it was hovering above the mountain, soaring around the crater in the ring of cloud. A vibrant red vapor began to discharge from the opened maw of the beast, settling down upon the rock-strewn terrain like a thick, pungent blanket of fog.

A few Gorons who had noticed the new scent in the air uncurled themselves to stare curiously at the fog. Rahami, who was the first to uncurl and stand upright so his head was above the vapor, took more interest in the broken flagpole rather then the fog rolling down from the crater like lava. Carefully avoiding inhaling the crimson haze, as its genre and effects were unknown to him, he strode slowly down the sloping mountainside and, sure enough, he found Ijauh laying there, the whole right half of him bruised and bleeding profusely. After a few seconds of consideration, the sympathetic side of the Goron took control, and he lifted the bleeding traveler into his strapping arms and carried him into the mountain village.

While Rahami was treating Ijauh's wounds, however, he was oblivious to a sudden uproar that had erupted overhead as half of the Goron race became fully aware of the threat now upon them…

* * *

"Hay! Wake up, sir! I have a package here for Mr. Link… Sir, you need to _GET UP_!"

The loud, annoying voice of the postman broke through the delicate sleep Link had fought for hours to acquire. With a moan the Hero of Time rolled over, right onto the hard wooden floor of his cabin, before stumbling awkwardly to his feet and answering the door. The postman, who had been screaming through the window (which had been left ajar), now strode briskly back over to the porch to push a letter into Link's fumbling hands.

"Thank you," The fair-haired Hyrulien yawned, nodding to the postman, who was now rushing off to pester someone else about mail. An atypical gray morning had dawned upon the quiet Toaru Village. The cool smell of rain drifted in the dawn breeze and the usual sound of a cucco crowing echoed around the waking community. Link, now a 22-year-old shepherded living quietly miles away from his original homelands, yawned again and rubbed the sleep from his sapphire eyes as he retreated back into his abode, shutting the door and groggily pulling on his tattered herdsman clothing. He was no longer clad in his trademark forest garb. His old tunics, shields, weapons, and masks had been locked away in a chamber beneath his cottage. He made it a point, as well, to lock away the Ocarina of Time along with the other items, for it reminded him of things much more… painful… then his other experiences.

Upon his left wrist was a conspicuous golden tattoo of the legendary Triforce, which he had gotten during his last big jump through time, when he finally released the legendary Master Sword. This marking was one of the two noticeable things that set him aside from the other villagers within the town; the other was his lenience with beasts. Otherwise, he was almost as normal as the other residents.

Link kept his background to himself. After the events of Majora's Mask, at age 12, he had continued his exploration of the land for 3 years until he found the rural settlement. He was drawn to the serenity that seemed to constantly encase the town, and within a fortnight he had set his mind to remaining there permanently. From the very beginning, most of the townsfolk would hearsay about him behind his back; it was not often the town received shadowy newcomers, and Link was probably the biggest mystery the small rural community ever contained. A few of them even had the backbone to confront the former hero about his past. But Link, without any explanation, had pushed all of the inquiring neighbors politely away. It was bad enough that he had to revisit the unforgiving events of his past in his dreams, let alone chatting with nosy gossipers about them. After several months of unfruitful pestering, the townsfolk's efforts tapered off, and they began to simply refer to him as a "taciturn unruly escapee". He did not mind this, however. At least they were leaving him alone because of it. Besides, the children were less inclined to throw eggs at his house, which, in Link's eyes, was a big improvement.

All the village people knew of the Hyrulien's pastwas that he was an expert at swordplay. There were rumors going around about his talent from the very first time he came, because he always seemed to carry a sword on his back at all times, but his skill became clear when two thieves had tried to steal a portion of his livestock. The fools didn't even make it out of the corral with all of their limbs. Before he knew what hit him, one intruder had been knocked forcefully to the ground by a sudden shower of accurate blows to the shoulders and legs. Before he could collect himself, he was struck in the head with the hilt of a sword and knocked cold. When the other felon realized what had happened, he turned and skittered for the exit like a frightened mouse. It was an unwise choice, however. He'd barely gone ten yards before he, too, was lying on the ground, struck across the back by a length of cold, sharp steel. The robber barely had enough time to stand up and withdraw the blade from his back before a torrent of fierce blows came crashing down upon him, two of which detached his left leg. He managed to block two blows at the most, but he did not stand a chance against Link's wrath. He, too, was concussed with the hilt of a blade.

The brigands awoke in the town's prison before the dawning of the next day, bleeding and crippled, unaware of how they got there. Link had managed to clean everything up before anyone ventured from their houses, but everyone still seemed to know what had happened during those prior hours of darkness, despite how well he had covered up the evidence. For weeks the Hyrulien had to put up with prying visitors and conversations until everything finally died down.

Now, years afterwards, the townsfolk were very familiar with the quiet herdsman, and they had grown much more comfortable with his presence as he tended to his goats on foot or atop Epona. After seven years of this, Link had built a strong mental wall around himself and he became more dark, quiet, and aloof then ever before. Hehad never really tried to get along with any of his neighbors as much as he did Ilia, the mayor's daughter, and Colin, a young unconfident stable boy.

Ilia was the first to greet Link politely, and throughout the years, she never tried to force stories from him. Colin, on the other hand, was the only stable boy who Epona seemed to trust, and that alone was enough to earn Link's friendship. The both of them had kept a respectful distance, but at the same time managed to treat Link like a normal person, which he began to appreciate more and more as the other villagers became increasingly inquisitive. Things between them were not exactly as relaxed as Link's friendship had been with Saria or the other Sages, but he was still glad that there were people he could approach without fear of a long, sharp scrutiny.

Link dropped the letter on the table without opening it, knowing it was probably just the landlord barking about Epona's bad behavior. The faithful mare, though kind to Colin, did not show the same mercy towards anyone else (besides Link and Malon, of corse). Guessing the name of a groomer that must have gotten injured by his mare, the former hero snatched the sheath of the Biggoron's Sword from its resting place near his bed and tied it onto his back. Even in this peaceful area, he never left his house without a sword at hand. The townsfolk loved to say it was because he was scared of getting arrested, and was always prepared to fight his way out of the law's grasp, but if truth be told Link had never really let go of his vigilance. He was still as wary as ever, constantly ready for a sudden nonexistent attack on him by a random tektite or keese.

However, as he unlocked the barn door and strode towards the stable where Epona was being kept, he was literally knocked over backwards by the sight that meant him within his mare's cubical.

* * *

_Two weak, lame wannabe-cliffhangers in one long, boring chapter. Fun, no? Could this story get any worse? Yes, actually, it could! If you think I should continue, or if you think that I should just kill it nowand leave its carcass to rot untilOctober (when this story will definitely be cremated completely), please review and tell me! Your thoughts are appreciated, weather they're positive or negative on my behalf. Next chapter will be a bit more exciting if I do decide to go ahead and write it. Review please!_


	2. The Liar and the Warning

Chapter 2: Controversy 

"I saw him arrive at the edge of the Midnight Dunes then take one of the more unstable side trails up to the pinnacle. He said he was going to see the Great Fairy and he claimed that he wasn't supposed to be seen by any of us. I believed him. The Great Fairy has been acting strange lately as it is… Perhaps she foresaw this and she called for aid?"

"Well, if that's true, then this freak wasn't much of a help at all… Climbed the mountain like a suicidal, flew back down, then broke down the dang flag is all he did! I don't trust him… We should just throw him in the crater with his darling monster and let him burn; he's probably the one responsible for this whole ordeal… His so-called story's all a lode of nonsense, I tell you! We ought to just get rid of him as soon as possible, before he causes any more trouble!"

"Now, Magol, let's not pull off anything hasty right underneath Darunia's nose. He's come back, you know, and he's gone up the mountain to face the beast. We shouldn't do anything without the Chief's approval first. The Chief's a good warrior, and he says he knows how to get up the mountain without getting infected, so this could all be over without even bothering with this stranger. Let's question him when he's conscious, though; just to be sure. He's an awful liar, so we don't have anything to be worried about."

The two Gorons sat shoulder to shoulder near the bedside of Ijauh, both conversing quietly in their low, gravelly voices and staring down at the limp man. The foreigner was heavily bandaged beneath his black shirt, his broken left arm rapped up in a makeshift splint. Rahami was staring pensively at his companion, Magol, who had his tattooed arms folded across his chest, scowling coldly down at the wounded traveler. Both were silent for a moment, until Magol spoke again.

"…What are we going to do with him in the meantime? What if he causes us trouble, like trying to escape, for instance?" Rahami's frown darkened. He pressed his large knuckles onto the ground and hoisted himself up into a standing position, shaking his head gruffly.

"He'll never make it out of the village, and if he does, he'll never make it down the mountain… At least not very far down the mountain… Besides, even if by some stretch of reality he DOES manage to make it down the mountain, we're still not sure what has become of Kakariko Village. I think the vapor may have reached the town already…"

"We need a miracle to get out of this one." Grunted Magol, turning to look at his friend, "Why hasn't the King of Hyrule done anything to help us, eh? …Is he still too scared to help his own allies?" Rahami said nothing, bowing his head and staring thoughtfully down at the solid stone floor. Indeed, the news of what was happening seemed to spread like wildfire throughout the entire land (save Kokiri Village, whose people usually remained ignorant to the happenings in the rest of Hyrule), yet not a soldier or messenger had neared Kakariko Village, let alone the haloed mountain. The King's help was probably staved off by his concern of infecting his own people, but that alone did not seem reasonable enough to the Gorons in their plight.

"…I'm going to bed." Magol growled dully, standing up as well and shuffling awkwardly out of the chamber. "G'night."

Rahami watched him leave, his frown still fixed in place. Magol was never skilled when it came to tolerating unfortunate matters, and the news of what was happening had meddled with his temper. With a sigh the mountain-dweller turned back to Ijauh, only to start when he discovered that the traveler was awake staring threateningly up at him. Estimating exactly how much the traveler heard, Rahami covered his alarm with an ominous frown, grumbling sarcastically: "So you've finally decided to rejoin the world of the living, I see— and it only took you about as long as it took Volvagia! I do hope you like rocks, because you'll probably be eating nothing else for as long as we're trapped in here, which may turn out to be quite a long time."

Ijauh looked for a moment like he had been slapped in the face. He gaped at Rahami for a few tense seconds before saying slowly: "…I'm trapped in Goron Village?"

"Yes, you are. The entryway to the city has been barricaded in an attempt to seal out some very nasty smog… Say, newcomer, _you wouldn't happen to know anything about that smog, would you?"_ He placed a delicate emphasis on the last words, narrowing his eyes and leaning close to the foreigner, who recoiled slightly. With a silent gulp, Ijauh brought himself to speak, his voice much less unruffled then it had been that night out on the trail.

"Uh… No, I don't know anything about any fog, uh— Ramhead, is it?"

"Rahami."

"Yes, Rahami, that's right… Uh… No, I don't know anything at all— But my guess would be that there must have been an eruption or something, and the fog is probably just some off-colored ash—"

"Oh, really?" Rahami cut in frostily, "Then explain something to me, if you're so sure… What kind of ash makes anyone who inhales enough of it go completely haywire? I've been around ash and volcanic activity all my life, but this has never happened before. Even our chief, who is probably four times older then you and knows more about this volcano then anyone else, says that it's entirely abnormal."

The traveler shrugged, trying to appear innocent. "How am I supposed to know?"

"You were tiptoeing around the mountaintop the night that monster appeared," Rumbled the Goron, his unfathomable eyes narrowing farther. "Don't try to lie your way out of this one. No one is leaving this village until that thing is destroyed and the smog clears, but if it continues to roll down the mountain in thick waves and the monster continues to thrive, that day may not be in the near future, and there isn't any edible food down here for the likes of you."

_Will he ever give up? _Thought Ijauh, annoyed by the Goron's persistence. With a concealed sigh, he continued on with more lies, knowing very well what may happen to him if he told the truth. One thing was for sure; he had to get off the mountain at all costs. "Look, all I know is that when I was up near the Crater Entrance, there was this big explosion from inside. I saw a bunch of flying dirt, and that's it. I went hurtling down the mountain and into the flag where I lost consciousness. Your guess is as good as mine."

"Okay, then. Why were you going to see the Fairy in the first place, and how was the meeting set up? Surely not through post… I don't think the Great Fairy has an address."

_Wow. He's not giving up until I tell my whole freaking life-story to him… _Thought Ijauh, before he answered in a casual voice: "Well, that's confidential—" He stopped mid-sentence once he saw the lethal expression Rahami was wearing. After a short pause, he continued hesitantly, "…Well… The Fairy works in mysterious ways sometimes… We… conversed through a magical gossip stone she gave me last time I was here… Awhile back. She promised me a new magic creation of hers so that… I would… Have… A… mm… Better… Chance… At winning a tournament being held abroad— In my homelands. B-but I wasn't supposed to let anyone know because she doesn't like people clamoring up to her demanding weaponry."

Rahami scowled. The hesitant, almost desperate way Ijauh had told his obvious lie was definitely _not_ convincing. There was no way any of this could be true, and yet, as much as he hated to admit it, he could not prove it false with the sources he had at the moment. Observing a flash of defeat in the large being's eyes, Ijauh carefully slid his hand into the pocket of his black pants, gripping something concealed there. Without a word of farewell, Rahami turned around and started towards the door, bearing in mind what action he should take next. The best thing to do to confirm the foreigner's dishonesty was to go to question the Great Fairy herself, but that would be near impossible, for the only rout to her was outside…

There was a clatter behind him, and as he spun around in alarm, a great wrench of pain shot through him from the pit of his stomach. With a muffled cry, the mountain-dweller stumbled back into the wall, hand moving automatically to the source of the sting. His large fingertips meant the leathery hilt of a dagger now embedded in his girth. There was a cold chuckle somewhere above him, and over the sound of his own thundering heart, Rahami heard Ijauh speak up in a cold, mocking voice. "Just wait till your pathetic 'Hero' gets over here. That's when the _real_ game begins."

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH—…?" 

The cry of shock and anger tore from Link's throat as something pelted out of the stall and threw itself at his neck, managing to get a hold on him in his shock and knocking him backwards. Had Link not first seen what had jumped at him, he would have reflexively broke the thing's grasp and sent it flying across the barn, but he did nothing of the sort. His scream of anger ceased almost as soon as it had started; yet his abrupt silence did not leave the barn quiet. The memorable laughter of a young girl was now sounding somewhere in his right ear.

"LINK!"

He had not heard that voice in over twelve years. Shocked and dazed, the shepherded lay on the hay-strewn barn floor as the familiar form crawled off him to stand next to his head. Hazily, as though he didn't quite believe what he was seeing, he gazed up into the vivid green eyes of Saria, the Kokiri from his past who had, within a dozen years, had become nothing more then a dusty memory to him. He blinked several times, still convinced he had wondered into a freakishly real daydream. Another familiar voice cut through the silence, this one deeper then Saria's, more womanly and smooth, with a note of sarcasm in it that was very recognizable.

"Uh… Are you gonna get off the floor, or do we have to get a doctor in here or somethin'?"

Slowly, Link tore his gaze away from Saria, half expecting the little girl to disappear, and focused instead on the tanned, striking face of the Sage of Spirit. Nabooru, her arms laden with golden bracelets and her fingers adorned with rings, was leaning against the stall door, one brow raised, staring down at Link, who still hadn't found his voice.

Saria giggled again. With a tired sigh, the Gerudo moved forward, took Link's hand and hoisted him upward again. He was still rather shaken, but now at least he knew they were real. They were here in Toaru. Two Sages in a small village far from their Temples! His head began to clear up, getting over the initial shock their presence had thrown upon him. After a moment of waiting for his two visitors to say something, Link decided to speak up, and he was surprised to find that his voice sounded sharp. Almost cold.

"…What are you doing here?"

Both Sages looked taken aback at his unfeeling tone, and before Link could repair it, Nabooru snorted mockingly. "What, no 'Hello'? Oh, fine then. Obviously you didn't get our letter. Saria, are you sure this is _our_ Hero of Time?"

Link fleetingly remembered the letter lying on his kitchen table, wishing desperately that he had opened it. Saria looked kindly up at him, her emerald eyes gleaming. "Yes," She said, "This is him. You can't find that face anywhere else." _Though, _She thought to herself, _he does look different… Since when did his hair go brownish?_

Brushing these thoughts from her mind, she continued. "Link, we bring critical news from Princess Zelda."

Link's throat seemed to constrict. For a moment he took in the information and, with a horrible plummeting feeling in his stomach, realized that they hadn't come for a petty joy visit as he had, at first, foolishly assumed. They had come with news about Hyrule's newest dilemma. _…Well, why else would they even consider talking to me?_ He thought dejectedly. _I guess it's true, then… __My friends can only come see me when they need me to loose some limbs in battle for them. I should have guessed as much…_

"A monster has been unleashed on Death Mountain," Said Nabooru, cutting into his overemotional thoughts, "and it's apparently the source of a fog that has really been messing up the Gorons. If the beast ventures farther then the mountain, it won't only be Hyrule that'll get infected or killed by it, believe me. This monster isn't big, or so we've heard, so it can't possibly be too dangerous so long as you stay clear of that fog… Link, we need your help on this one. We wouldn't have bothered you if it wasn't vital."

"What does the fog do, and how do you think I can destroy the monster?" The callous tinge was in his voice again, and he mentally cursed himself for living in such a gossipy town for seven years.

"Well," Saria said slowly, as though she'd just been yelled at, "We haven't exactly seen the monster yet. Only Darunia has, and we haven't gotten word from him since he reached the pinnacle of the mountain. It was so strange. He was suddenly just cut off mid-sentence. And as for the fog—"

"Can we talk in your house, Link?" Nabooru cut in harshly. "Your pony doesn't seem to like us, and those goats are throwing dirty looks at me."

* * *

_Short chapter, but noticeably livelier then the last one… I think. Thanks to the four people who reviewed! It means a lot. **Please** review with your thoughts again; I enjoyed reading them!_

_I was planning on taking the story down in October because for one, very few people make it past the first paragraph of my writing here at home, and I seriously wasn't expecting anyone to read this.I thought that leaving it up would be pointless. But if you think I should keep it up, then tell me in a review and I will._


	3. Misunderstandings and Miscalculations

The whole of the drowsy village could hear the screech of a Goron rolling at full speed against the stone floor. It bounced off the walls and carried deep into each individual hole, awakening every Goron dwelling there. It was Magol that was causing the racket. He was acting completely strange; no one had ever seen him (and anyone else besides Darunia) reach such a speed within the town before.

Five minuets beforehand, Magol, who had been about halfway to his own home, had felt a pang of sudden wary that sent his mind reeling. It was a feeling of deep uneasiness that one may get when one b2C eyes screwed shut against the pain. Magol knelt down beside him, unaware he was kneeling in a pool of blood, and removed the dagger in one fluent movement. Rahami started, his eyes flew open, and he gasped out: "Get him! Get… That fake!"

Magol, completely clueless, furrowed his brow. When Rahami did not continue, his panic returned and he tossed the dagger aside, calling out hysterically: "HELP! HELP! SOMEONE GET A MEDICINE MAN IN HERE— HELP!"

Outside, there came the faint sounds of movement as others began to hobble on foot up to the sett. _Good Din, _Magol thought angrily, _Can't they get up here quicker? _

He looked back down at Rahami, trying to remember what to do in situations like these. He did not know how to dress a wound, or at least not one as serious as this, and he was unsure if he should have even removed the dagger. So, with a nervous gulp, he just decided to talk. "Who did this to you? Was it that traveler? Where did that rockhead go?" He lifted his eyes and looked around the room. The bed, where Ijauh had been resting, was now empty, as was the rest of the room. _How could he have snuck out…?_

Rahami abruptly spoke up, and his large hand reached over to meaningfully grip Magol's wrist. "There is no time to look for him," He grumbled weakly, thick drops of blood streaming from the corner of his mouth and down his cheek, "just make sure that no one comes up here… No one must get anywhere near that monster. Especia…" He trailed dimly, his black eyes rolling in their sockets. Magol waited with bated breath, but Rahami said nothing else. With one last choke on his own blood, the Goron's eyes closed, he curled reflexively inward, as if he were rolling up, and breathed no more.

Magol was shocked. His heart seemed to freeze, and his lungs seemed jammed, as if he had just been punched hard in the stomach. He did not move when five different Gorons entered the den at once, nor did he say anything when they noticed the dagger and all of the blood that was sprayed on him from pulling the weapon from Rahami's belly. Only one thought remained on his mind. As they forced him up onto his feet and bound his bloody hands behind his back, yelling and screaming, that thought was all that was in his mind.

…_Who shouldn't come?…_

_

* * *

_"You should really come!" Nabooru's voice was desperate, and it was the first plea that Link had ever heard from one so haughtily as her. Saria was wearing the same expression that the Desert Princess was: it was one that expressed deep seriousness. But Link had his own serious matter now that the circumstance was in full view. 

The beast seemed by far more threatening then any he had yet faced, save for Ganon. It was not its physical power that made it so lethal; no one yet knew the extent of its brawn. It was the matter of the fog that worried him most. The fog, though not deadly, seemed to be able to turn people mad. Already half of the Goron village had inhaled it, and Link knew that if he traveled to Death Mountain conspicuously, they would meet him at the mountain pass and attack. And, despite all of the monsters the Hero had destroyed to date, he knew he could not bring himself to kill a single innocent Goron, let alone dozens of them.

"Link, no one else will do it," Saria added swiftly, her green eyes staring pleadingly at him. He hated it when she did that, and though he was still unsure, it seemed to sway his mind a little. He now knew plainly why the King did not send his armies up there. If the whole of the Hyrulien army were under the malicious creature's influence, then there would be absolutely no hope, even with Link's help.

"Isn't there any way you can clear the fog?" He asked suddenly, looking up at the two Sages.

Nabooru sighed exasperatedly. "Sure," She said sarcastically, "if we want to send it down into Kakariko Village instead, then yeah, we can send some wind in there for you. Otherwise, you're out of luck."

"The fog has layered up to a height of 6 feet already, and its getting higher and thicker as we talk," Saria said urgently. "Luckily, it's only staying on the uppermost part of Death Mountain. But the creature will probably move if we don't start moving ourselves!"

Link frowned. It was a risk he should not be taking… A risk Hyrule should not take. If he accidentally inhaled more then a mouthful of the fog, then he would be a much bigger threat to Hyrule then that beast was…

"…Well, even if we do leave now, it will take me days to cross the sea and get to Hyrule, even if I do have Epona! How do you suggest I get to the mountain— Better yet, how will I get to the beast?"

It seemed near impossible, but Nabooru merely waved it away as though it were a passing fly. "We can take you as far as Great Bay, in Termina," She said easily, "but then we must return to our Temples. You're on your own after that, but I think it will only take you a few hours to get back to Hyrule. As for getting on top of the mountain… Well, Ruto says she has a plan."

"Let's hope so, because her last plan to help even out the conflict between the Lakeside Scientist and the Zora community wasn't exactly a blast…" Said Saria, with a smirk.

"I'm telling ya," Nabooru sighed, shaking her head and making her fiery hair gleam. "There were pancakes everywhere…"

"So… I best get ready," Link arose and walked out of his house. It was a fourth mile away from the rest of the town, and its backside faced a tall ridge of gray stone. There was a small stretch of earth between the stone and the rear of the house, and Link had chosen to dig the cellar here, where it would be harder to find. He unlocked the cellar's double doors and swung them open, walking down the staircase and into the cool room below.

For the first time in a decade, it was finally time to gear up again. Here, in the cool, dry cellar, Link kept what equipment he had gathered while bouncing back and fourth through time. The Biggoron's Sword, which was strung over his shoulder already, was one of those artifacts. Another was the Hyrulien Shield. He strapped that on as well, and scooped up more carefully selected items— his bow and quiver, bomb bag, longshot, tunics, boots, gauntlets, several choice masks, and what few other magic items he had picked up— and placed all of these into his saddlebags.

As he turned to leave, something sitting in the corner caught his eye. The deep blue luster of the Ocarina of Time caught the light, even in the dim gray light of the cellar, and seemed to glow. He lifted it up pensively, wondering if he still knew how to play it. Raising it to his lips, he quietly played the Bolero of Fire. Nothing happened, of course; he was beyond Hyrule's border. He sighed, and suddenly felt a small pang of homesickness. He lowered the ancient instrument and placed it with his other magical items.

After locking up the cellar doors again, he returned to his cabin. Saria and Nabooru were waiting for him out in the barn, so his home was once again empty. As he shucked his shepherd's clothes aside, it dawned on him that maybe his old Kokiri garb would not fit him. After attempting to fit into it, and failing horribly, he gave up and slipped instead into his Goron Tunic. It fit, but only just. It was rather tight about his chest, he noticed, but it did not matter, so long as he had something to wear that would not attract too much attention in Hyrule.

"Ah, our conqueror is back again!" Saria exclaimed once she saw Link striding back towards them, wearing normal Hyrulien clothes once again with a sword and shield on his back. Nabooru, on the other had, was staring skeptically at the red garb he was wearing, one eyebrow raised.

"Awww, Link! What happened to your trademark green?" She asked, mock-pouting as he walked by.

"My green tunic doesn't fit me anymore…" He said, but then added with a smile, "Besides, I think I look better in red anyway."

"Well, I don't remember you being a fussy dresser," Saria said, smirking, "You would have probably run around in a dress if you had too, _and_ you wouldn't have minded it."

"Yeah, right," Link shot back mischievously as he lifted the saddle onto Epona's back. "I'd rather run around in my birthday suit then in a dress."

"Oh, so you're saying you'd rather stand about naked then to wear a dress?" Asked Nabooru impishly, with her infamous smirk.

"Well, you wouldn't catch me doing either so it really doesn't matter." Link rolled his eyes whilst forcing the bit into his horse's mouth.

"But you still _said_ that!" The Desert Sage sniggered, "You probably even wait till the dead of night to run around town bare naked!"

"Shhh!" Link said, flushing a deep maroon in his cheeks and tying the saddlebags onto his steed, "If anyone in the town hears you, they'll stay up until midnight trying to get a glimpse of…" He trailed off, looking past the two Sages and into the large cerulean eyes of a blonde boy standing several yards away from the open doors of the barn.

Colin. He was staring openmouthed at the two beings he'd never seen before, and at Link, who looked as though he were dressed for war. In his hands he held a flake of alfalfa, which he'd been taking to Epona, but he saw now that it was not going to be eaten. He closed his mouth and, shyly, walked past the two staring Sages and into the barn. Link looked uneasily away, even though he knew that Colin wouldn't say anything. The boy placed the alfalfa in the hayloft and hurried away without a backwards glance.

"We better go now," Link said solemnly, "Before his mum comes running in here full-speed with a camera… The last thing I want to hear when I come back is people asking me how the war went or something…"

Fifteen minuets later, Nabooru's temper was pushed to its limits. "What in the heck is wrong NOW!" She snarled exasperatedly as Saria made several panicky hand gestures. Her fingertips were alight with a sharp, green light, but nothing seemed to be happening. Link had mounted Epona and taken the reins into his hands, his deep azure eyes flicking between Nabooru's angered expression and Saria's wide, fearful eyes.

"Okay, okay!" The green-haired girl gasped, "I've never done something like this before, though!"

"Fine then," Shot Nabooru tiredly, waving her heavily-adorned hand, "I'll try and teleport him and the donkey by myself! You just sort your powers out when we get home, okay? You've been having this trouble for weeks…"

"No, no!" Squealed the Sage of Forest, "I can do it! Let me take Link; you can take Epona by yourself since she's bigger!" Link drew his brows together, then spoke up, disgruntled. "Just let Saria do it."

Nabooru, beaten down and in no mood for an argument, merely snorted and turned her head sharply away from them. Saria smiled wearily, and Link dismounted Epona again, setting the reins on the horn of the saddle and giving her one last goodbye stroke on the face. The two Sages raised their hands and, squaring up to him and the horse, muttered a few inaudible words.

A strange, horrifyingly unexpected sensation shot up through Link, and Saria, Nabooru, and the whole of Toaru dissolved before his eyes. He was suddenly surrounded in utter darkness, and around him snaked an artic breeze. He felt as though he'd plunged into a pool of ice water, but just as he was about to panic, his feet touched down on land, and he fell face-forward into a hummock of deep, powdery dirt. Warm air swirled about him once again, and his momentary anxiety began to ebb. It took him several moments to gather himself, but when he did, it was clear that wherever he'd ended up teleporting to, it was definitely NOT Great Bay.

He was, in fact, on a beach, but it stank of dead fish and cigarette smoke. The sand was black and dusty. He was at a dock, and a rather busy one at that. The undergrowth he'd landed in hid him from view of the surly looking sailors— No, not sailors… They were creatures. He raised a gauntleted hand to visor his eyes from the sun. Yes, they had snouts, floppy ears and sharp, jagged fangs. They held spears in their burly hands and snorted as they walked. Moblins. He crinkled the bridge of his nose and moved farther back into the foliage. The last time he had faced down a moblin was in the Sacred Forest Meadow, but even that long ago, he still remembered them.

Their presence puzzled him. He had thought that, after the defeat of Ganondorf, all of the disgusting creatures that had soiled the earth dissipated. Were these getaways? How could they have escaped? He remained silent, watching and waiting. When ship after ship had been loaded with the boars, they took to the seas, heading off towards Hyrule…

Link made a mental note to remind Saria to practice her teleporting skills as he sat there in the darkness, staring at the unfamiliar seas that stretched out before him, completely at a loss…

---

_**I didn't know what else to call a Goron Doctor, so I just went to the closest thing to what they might have called one.**_

_I am aware that this is up to it's ears in mistakes, but I couldn't proof-read it very well since my brain suddenly shut off and I'm afraid I might just change the whole thing around if I look at it anymore. **Sorry for the late late LATE update, but I got busy o-o;**_


	4. Magol Revealed

**Chapter 3- Magol Revealed**

Link strode easily up and down the filthy harbor for the fifth time in counting, eyeing the frothing water below, wrinkling the bridge of his nose at the foul odors that the wind brought to his nose. As disgusting as this place was, he barely took note of his surroundings at all. His thoughts were focused upon a very disturbing matter.

_Why were all those moblins still alive, and where are they going? I thought that after Ganondorf was imprisoned, they were all wiped out… If they're heading for Talmina, then those poor people will be in some serious trouble. I doubt that Clocktown's little band of soldiers is enough to fend off so many enemies, and since all of the beings are so aloof in that nation, they will be destroyed one after the other… If they're heading for Hyrule, then they will not make it far without a leader like Ganondorf at their head. They couldn't have found another leader, could they?… Aren't they only supposed to serve Ganondorf? Did Ganondorf break out without the Sages knowing?… No, they would have noticed… But then why—_

He was brought crashing back to earth as something sharp went shooting straight at him, nicking his ear. Out of pure reflex, he drew his sword and shield, turning mechanically around. All he found behind him was a length of black water.

_There's something hiding in there…_ He tensioned, senses cackling to life, azure eyes darting between each submerging bubble on the shifting dark surface. He did not even realize he was holding his breath until the pressure became too great to ignore. Breathing deeply but quietly, he waited for a second arrow, gripping the rough hilt of his weapon so hard his hand began to throb.

And it came. The second arrow shot out from the water, heading straight at his face. Link deflected it with a shout, moving immediately forward. He normally would have shot his own arrow into the water, but his bow and quiver happened to still be in Epona's saddlebags, and he hadn't the slightest idea where she was now. Instead, he automatically went charging headlong into the unknown. A fraction of a second later, Link had let slip a string of loud swearwords, struggling violently to free himself of the devil water he had unwittingly plunged into.

It was like he was caught up in Morpha again. The midnight liquid was grabbing at him, pulling him down, down into a thick black suffocating blanket. He fought back violently, shouting as he thrashed around with his sword, shield, legs and arms. But nothing seemed to drive the water back off him, and as he searched frantically around for a transparent bulb, one similar to Morpha's, he realized that the sea must have been hundreds of miles wide; the bulb, if it existed, could be miles away. Jerking his gauntleted hands wildly at the water to keep his head from going under, he began to lash out more savagely at the sea floor, and was startled when the heel of his boot connected with something hard. He had been expecting silt.

All at once, the grip on him vanishedandsomething emerged in the black water next to him. He turned to face his attacker, sword held at the ready, butwas tooshocked at what he saw to attack.

"…Kafei…?"

At once, something came crashing down upon his head, and all became black and still.

* * *

A week had passed since the death of Darunia.

The monster at the top of the mountain was more powerful then any of the Sages had anticipated. The Chief Goron had been the strength of the group, working hard and battling off any threat that had arisen. He had never failed at anything before, and the very thought of his end seemed unreal. It had broken through the hopes of the Sages. Rauru spent most of his time pacing in the Chamber of Sages, his balding head bent in concentration. Darunia's dais, once vivid red, had faded into a dull black-maroon. His medallion hovered above his pedestal, carefully waiting to choose its new owner. It had appeared there the instant Death Mountain's ruler had passed. Darunia's body was never found or recovered— Not that they could have recovered it in the first place. They no longer had the power to recover anything from Death Mountain… Until Link came, everything there was unreachable, blocked by a barrier of spite. Ruto still claimed she had a plan to get to the top of the mountain, but she could not do it without the old Hero's help.

Try as she might, no matter what she did, Saria had found it impossible to locate Link. Nabooru had flown into a rage when she arrived on the shores of Great Bay to be greeted only by Epona and Saria. In a voice close to a shriek, she had ordered the young Kokiri to lead the Clydesdale to Romani Ranch, ask them to keep the horse safe until Link came, and to find a place for Link's equipment. Crying, Saria had done so, but not without trying to defend herself. In the end, Epona was given a stable and Link's saddlebags were given to the innkeeper in Clocktown who, Saria sensed, was trustworthy enough to watch over the bags without looking in them.

Saria had always been a close friend to Darunia. When she found out the news, the shine in her eyes had faded like Darunia's dais, and she had spent the next three nights alone in her Temple, weeping. No one could find much to say to her, as they all were faced with tribulations of their own now. Where was Link? They were all fully focused on locating him now, but the harder they tried, the more they were disappointed.

On the seventh morning, Rauru called a meeting. He looked more tired and forlorn now that he was staying up, continually searching, as all of them were. The first thing he did when everyone had arrived was suggest that they look for a new Sage of Fire instead of searching hopelessly around for Link. A loud silence fallowed until Saria, who had been bewailing profusely in last week, sniffed loudly and raised her hand.

"Do you have a hunch at where Link might be, then?" Rauru asked, his golden eyes resting on the small girl.

"N-no," She squeaked, "But I was wondering if we could just gave the Medallion to Darunia's son instead of waiting for it to choose an owner… What did Darunia name him again? …Link, right? After the Hyrulian Link?"

"Boy, that'll really be un-confusing," Muttered Nabooru sarcastically in the background. "He better have a nickname or something, 'else I'm calling him Junior…"

"We need to look for Link." Saria continued, "That monster has to be really strong, and with or without a perfectly fitting Sage of Fire, we can't do much without him…"

"Don't be foolish, Saria," Impa said quietly, "We mustn't let this disturbance throw all of us off completely. We need an appropriate Sage of Fire if we are to continue evenly, and giving it to someone possibly unworthy will not only corrupt our whole system, but it is also betrayal to the Goddesses! We will wait for the Medallion to choose for itself, but in the meantime, we will continue to look for Link. Besides, the Medallion can only be received if its Temple is cleansed. The Fire Temple is currently playing host to dark creatures again, as Darunia has left his post and there is no one there to stand guard."

A ringing muteness fallowed the small lecture. At long last, Rauru coughed loudly and said in a voice that clearly stated the end of the meeting: "Well, then, that settles it. We'll continue what we're doing. If anyone finds Link, they are to first inform the rest of us before heading out to retrieve him. He might have found his way into a very dangerous place, and for all we know—"

Suddenly, the rim of Darunia's platform ignited in blue flames, and the Fire Medallion was warped from the chamber. Saria shrieked, and Rauru gave a start so bad he nearly went toppling off his own platform. "OY!" He shouted, regaining balance, "The Medallion has chosen! Quick, Impa, go to the mountain and see what has happened, and Ruto, go summon Zelda!"

* * *

Magol was curled in the corner of his prison cell, hands balled into fists beneath him, a scowl etched across his broad façade. It had taken him awhile to regain composure after being blamed for Rahami's death, and though he had continued to fight aggressively for his freedom three days after his arrest, the loss of Darunia had left him hopeless and hallow, and he had given in. His Chief and his friend were both gone, and it was all because of… _Ijuah_. _He _was the reason of the turmoil, the deaths. Magol squeezed his fists tighter. He had made a resolute promise to find and kill that wretched parasite, and he was keen to fulfill it. He was so caught up in his thoughts, eyes closed and face pressing into the earth, that he was unaware of a sudden red flash beside him where a vibrant crimson Medallion had appeared, awaiting claim. He was unconscious of a sudden purple flash just inside his cell, or a hushed female voice calling to him, beckoning for him to uncurl and look up —

"AAH! GREAT GODDESSES, GUDNIP, _THE MONSTER!_" A strange goron was rolling top-speed down into the jail chambers. Magol uncurled just after Impa teleported out of the dungeon. He rushed forward to the bars of his cell, staring out at the scene before him. The one who had shouted was uncurled before another goron (one called Gudnip, it seemed) and had begun shouting more. His eyes rolled and spit flew from his mouth as he screamed, looking completely mad.

"THE MONSTER HAS GONE INTO THE FIRE TEMPLE! HE'S GOING TO UPSET THE GODDESSES AND SAGES AND _KILL US ALL!_ QUICK, _RUN FOR COVER_—"

He was cut short as Gudnip's large, rough hand came down hard upon the side of his head. The stranger seemed frozen for a moment, shocked at this unexpected reaction. "Calm down," Gudnip growled. "If you keep acting like that, they'll throw you out with the rest of the deranged gorons. Now, what's happened?"

"The monster has gone into the Temple! It's going to kill—"

"There's nothing to worry about, then. It's gone for now; there's nothing it can do in the Temple that would hurt us, I think, and maybe that stupid fog will go with it. And how do you know this, anyway?"

"One of the outside gorons told me."

"…Wait, you went outside?"

"Oh, you don't know? Well, the fog loses its power or something when the monster leaves, 'cause lodes of us have already gone outdoors and nothing has happened to us. The crazies aren't crazy anymore, or at least, some of them aren't. Some still try to kill you on sight, but they're easy to avoid because they're all in Dodongo's Cavern, and they don't seem to want to come out."

A pause, then—

"You came down here looking pretty crazy, yourself…"

"That's because I thought we were all doomed."

"…I'm staying inside. I don't care about were everyone else is going; I'm staying inside and keeping myself sane."

"Fine. I'm starving to death; I'm going to go eat."

"Wait! What about the deranged psychos still in the cavern—?" But the strange goron was rolling away already, ignoring Gunip's warnings. With a sigh, the guard returned to his post up the hall, shaking his head. "That dim-witted bolder, going to get his head torn off before the end…"

Magol was thoroughly shaken by what he heard, and when he turned around to see the Fire Medallion hovering feet above his bed with it's base surrounded by small blue flames, he was absolutely thunderstruck. He stood gawking with his mouth agape at Darunia's prized pendant, which he had only ever heard of before. It was said to be the center of the Chief Goron's strength, and many gorons denied its existence. Was it his now…? Could he touch it?

Before he built enough nerve to answer these questions, Impa appeared again with another purple flash, and this time he noticed her. She stood frowning before him, her maroon eyes flashing with annoyance at being so plainly ignored before. "So," She began, folding her arms across her chest and eyeing him skeptically. "You are the new Sage of Fire. You have work to do, chum. Best get your Medallion before it takes you for a moron and goes looking for someone else."

When Magol continued to stare, Impa moved forward, giving him a firm slap on the shoulder. "What's the matter?" She sounded more irked then concerned. Magol regained himself and, with a deep breath and a muttered "I'm fine", he reached out for the glowing Medallion, closing his large hand around it—

There was a sudden shock of pain in his hand, as if he'd stuck his palm into lava, and he automatically drew back. The Medallion was gone, but the symbol that had adorned it was now engraved into his hand. Impa smiled. "Good. Now, what's your name?"

"…Magol," He said quietly, staring at his palm, before he added quickly: "Does this mean I'm also the new Chief Goron? Because I've been arrested and I don't think—"

"That's a matter of the gorons, not the Sages," Impa cut in tranquilly, "But you've been arrested before, and the Medallion still chose you? Why?"

"I'm innocent, I didn't commit the crime. Ijuah did." Even as he said the words, he knew they would make no sense to her. But she merely nodded pensively and took him by the shoulder.

"Hold on," She said, and they were both engulfed in blue flames, incased in azure glass, spinning and flattening out until suddenly—

He was standing alone on a vivid red dais, facing six strange people. The chamber he had appeared in was strange and dark, and most of the people assembled there were unfamiliar to him. But this was not a problem, because they all immediately began introducing themselves. Impa, Rauru, Ruto, Saria, Nabooru, and— He gave a start, staring. Princess Zelda stood on a triangular platform in the middle of them all, watching him expectantly. After uneasily inclining his head to each in turn, a very uncomfortable silence took hold, and Magol felt his face grow hot, knowing they all were staring at him with interest, as though waiting for him to do something drastic and impressing. _This is something Rahami was meant to do, not me…_ He thought awkwardly, shifting his weight from one short leg to another. Finally, after long, uncomfortable moments, he brought himself to act as he usually did. He frowned seriously, folding his heavy arms across his chest, straightening up, and saying evenly: "I am Magol, and now that I've been chosen to be the Sage of Fire, I accept any responsibilities that have been given to me; I assure you, I will be no disappointment."

He knew he'd said the right things, because the smallest of the group, Saria, smiled and said: "He's really like Darunia; he's good for the duty, I know it." And the others seemed to agree. Suppressing a smile, he turned to stand facing the old man to his right, Rauru, as he spoke up.

"Okay, now we have our fitting Sage of Fire! Let us turn to the matters at hand. Finding Link is absolutely vital if we're ever going to get that monster off of Death Mountain—"

"There's still some problems that I don't get," Nabooru cut in. Rauru frowned, but stopped talking, allowing her to continue. "I thought you said that the Medallion couldn't choose a new owner if the Temple is dirty, yet here's Magol! And how was Impa able to teleport into Death Mountain? I thought that the 'unspeakable evil' or whatever kept us from going near that place… The monster either has left or is dead, right? But then why is the fog still out? Isn't—"

It was her turn to be cut off. Zelda had spoke up finally, drawing everyone's full attention onto her. "The monster has gone into the Fire Temple, cleansed it of the dark creatures that were lurking there, and is now lurking just outside it in the crater, guarding it from any other monsters. This is why the Medallion was able to choose a new owner. It seems the fog only works when the monster continually renews it, and for some reason, the beast wants the Mountains to be approached… And as for cleansing the Temple… I doubt it meant to kill Darunia. That was not part of its plans. It probably supposed that he would be one of the first to inhale the fog, but Darunia was smarter then he thought, and he was also stronger and more experienced then anything it had faced down before. He was more of a threat then it believed, so it had to slay him to keep itself alive. I think it wants Link to face him… To take Link down, befoul all of the Temples and take over the whole of Hyrule."

"It's an extremely foolish thing to do, underestimate a goron." Said Saira, nodding shrewdly.

"But that doesn't make sense," Said Ruto suddenly. "Link is a better fighter then Darunia… Why does it want him to come and kill it? Because he obviously can!"

There was a silence. With a look of emerging comprehension on his face, Magol spoke up. "What? Your talking about Link, right? As in the Hero-of-Time-Link? As in the hasn't-been-sighted-in-years Link? He isn't in Hyrule anymore?"

Nabooru laughed wryly. "Well, aren't YOU lost!" She said. "Me and Teleporter-Extraordinar here—" She gestured brusquely towards Saria with her thumb, "—went to go get him out of this town across the sea, but we kinda lost him somewhere… We've been up all week looking in every corner of the planet, but we haven't been able to find him, which means he's either extremely well hidden at the moment or he's dead."

"We're all really praying it's not the latter," Zelda said quietly to Magol as the other Sages began to warp from the chamber, "but by the looks of things, we may end up being forced to face a horrible truth… No one knows what that monster is capable of except Darunia, and well… He never told us…" But, somehow, as Magol watched everyone teleport back to their own Temples, he knew she was wrong…

Ijuah was still out there, and something told him that if they could just find the liar, then they would find the real threat to Hyrule…

* * *

_Long chapter… For once o-o! Yay for boring talk and obvious wannabe-mystery xB! I WILL get this story done, though I cannot promise quicker updates. Been busy u-u. Please please PLEASE review! At least tell me all the reasons why this freaking crappy piece of toilet paper is sucky and boring! 3 Thank you, all those who bothered reading this anyway!_


	5. Notice

-Cough-Uh, okay. I had all the chapters of this completed, actually, but when I was in the middle of proof-reading it all, my laptop kind of… Died o-o; It's been dying a lot, but now it seems kinda permanently deceased. I'm on another computer now, but none of my stuff was saved on here. So this story is temporarily on hold, as soon as I get off my lazy butt and start it all over. Not that anyone was reading anyway, but ah well. We can't all write alluring stuff, IguessxD! Thanks to the reviewers, sorry for the inconvenience, blah blah blah.

G'bye fer now.

_-Archer_


	6. Impossible?

_Wow. Has it been forever or what? One day, as I wasn't lost off in the sky somewhere, I thought, what the 'ell! This fic an't going nowhere if I don't get off me lazy butt and get it done! You all probably have figured out the retarded mystery by now, so I'll just… Try to work this chapter out to where it actually fits in with the scatterbrained mystery. O-o; _

_

* * *

_

Link awoke with a headache from hell pounding at his skull. He shook his head groggily, still dazed, waiting for his eyes to focus in. He wasn't in a chamber, or a cell. He wasn't even tied up. He was resting face-up on the pearly white sands of Great Bay, the crystalline water rushing around his limp form. Forgetting his pain, he scrambled up and drew his bow, which, surprisingly, was lying right at his side. He felt at his shoulders, only to find his quiver and all of his arrows were still in place, as well as his shield. To top all of that, his sword was still tied at his side.

_That's… Odd…_ He thought, rubbing the back of his head, where a large lump had arisen where he was struck._ And was that Kafei…?_

Link spun around, eyeing the water warily as though expecting to see someone aiming a bow at him from its depths. Who exactly _was_ his attacker? His first thought was that it was an old friend of the past, Kafei; he'd spoken the name out of shock before he was thwacked. But there was one difference: Kafei wouldn't have been swimming around in some black, murky water, shooting arrows at him and knocking him out. Link knew that whatever it was, it had definitely meant him harm. But then why hadn't it just got it all done with and killed him on the spot?… And why in all the Goddess's names did it look like the Mayer's son?

Sighing, he tossed these thoughts aside. What did it matter now? He was alive, but it was obvious that the Sages had failed to find him. What were they doing? They could have easily found him if he was out in the open all this time. The only areas they would have had trouble locating him in are dungeons, temples, and chambers.

_And,_ Link thought,_ I highly doubt I was in any of those places. If I was, I would have been disarmed, chained, and behind bars next to some skeleton._

He strung his bow over his shoulder and started up the beach, trudging heavily through the sand. _What a lovely day at the beach,_ He thought wryly, spitting sand out of his mouth, _sand all over in my clothes with sunburns like hellfire to boot._

But it wasn't the horrific sunburns that were prickling at his skin. His hackles had unconsciously risen on end, his muscles had tensoned, and his ears were straining for sound. Warning signs. Something was very, very wrong with this place… One glance to the left and he understood why.

The ship had landed here, and huge, heavy tracks gouged into the soft sand, leading towards Turmina.

_…Oh crap. _

_

* * *

_

_"_I FOUND HIM!"

Saria shrieked into the emptiness of the Chamber of Sages, waving her arms and jumping excitedly up and down. "I'VE FOUND HIM! I'VE FOUND LINK! HE'S BACK AT GREAT BAY!"

"We're not _DEAF!_ We can _HEAR YOU_!" Impa shouted, appearing suddenly by her side with a glare on her face. Saria flinched. This type of sharpness usually came from Nabooru, but never from Impa. The older woman had a frustrated expression upon her face, and her arms were folded across her chest, red eyes narrowed. But, upon seeing Saria's shock, her expression softened a tad and she explained through clentched teeth, "I am sorry. I was up for two nights straight, and I _really_ need to sleep."

Saria shrugged, frowning sadly. She had been snapped at a lot since the teleporting mishap, and was used to it by then. "I understand. We've all been up late."

The others arrived promptly afterwards. Magol, as usual, was slow on arriving. "Sorry," He grunted, appearing minuets after Ruto, "I'm still trying to get these Sage things down…"

"Where did you say he was, Saria?" Zelda said calmly, though her eyes were fixed on Impa, who'd become quite cross again.

"Great Bay, of Termina. I found him lying unconscious on the shore." Answered Saria, looking carefully down at her green shoes, flushing as she usually did when everyone's attention was on her.

"How long ago?" Questioned Magol.

"Five minuets."

"Okay then!" Rauru clapped his large hands together, smiling, "Good! Now, before he takes off somewhere like I know he would, I want Nabooru and Magol to warp there and bring him back into this chamber as soon as possible."

Magol was briefly shocked at being randomly asked to go and fetch the Legendary Hero of Time out of a foreign land, but did not hesitate to fallow Nabooru out of the Chamber and into the daylight. They went soaring across Hyrule's skies, towards the far west, where Great Bay stretched along the ocean.

_

* * *

_

"Alright, I didn't have much of a problem with the whole Evil-Dock-with-the-Killer-Army-of-Moblins ordeal, but chasing them down... Now _that's_ where my patience runs thin." Said Link to the empty air, clenching his fists and trudging towards the gate that separated Great Bay from Termina Fields.

He quickly slowed his pace, however, once he realized that everything was much too quiet to be natural. Not a bird dotted the sky, and absolutely nobody was outside. _That'd be natural if the whole land's just been struck with a gigantic, completely random assault._ He reasoned, but that did not calm his nerves. Something here didn't seem right… Like he was about to be ambushed. On instinct, he drew his sword and shield, straining his senses, until finally he heard exactly what he'd been expecting.

The unmistakable sounds of soft, moblin grunts and shifting chain mail reached his sharp ears, and air held faint traces of the revolting odor the beasts carried. A small smirk curled his lips. They, or at least some of them, were waiting to ambush him right behind the large gates blocking his path. And a few more, he guessed, were just beyond the city walls.

_Ah. They're so brainless it's almost poignant._

He sheathed his sword again and effortlessly stalked to the left wall, just off the path, scaling the steep ascent as easily as though he were climbing a small hill. Once he was safely on top, he crept over to the edge of the rock, peering down at the moblins huddled behind the gate. This was going to be a piece of cake.

Slowly, he set an arrow into his bow and drew back, aiming carefully for one of the swine's heads. He released, and it hit right on target. Squealing and clutching at its bleeding skull, the moblin leapt to his feet, crashing into the others as it ran wildly about, half-dead. Link swiftly drew another arrow, then another, aiming all the while at the confused moblins below.

He was unaware of the threat that came from behind. By the time he'd sensed the presence of another and turned around to face it, the steel tip of the spear had already pierced the flesh between his ribs, drawing a great fountain of blood from his side. Link bellowed in pain, instantly pulling the weapon out and knocking the other off they're feet. He raised the bloody spear above his assailant, fire blazing in his eyes, until he caught sight of the aggressor's face. The familiar face made his heart stop in his chest, and his breath catch in his throat.

_No… It's… impossible… _

_

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_Wow. Wasn't that lame? ;3 Hate me? Probably my worstchapter yet, but soon enough all the riddles will be answered: **Why do people keep attacking Link? What's up with all the retarded moblins hanging around? Why couldn't the Sages find Link days ago— Where was he? Who really cares? Tune in next update for more on Scratch a Liar, Find a Beast!** XDD! Review, please :3 I find that keeps me writing a bit faster ;D And if you find this chapter coated in mistakes, I apologize. I'm sloppy._


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